Pleas to secure the future of ‘beacon of hope’ centre
COUNCILLORS have given an emotional plea to the current trustees of the Aberfan and Merthyr Vale Community Centre to get round the table and help keep the “beacon of hope” open.
At a Merthyr Tydfil full council meeting on Wednesday, March 20, councillors across the chamber expressed their concern at the situation and called on Wellbeing Merthyr (Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Trust), which is the current trustee of the building, to engage with the council so services can keep running at the centre.
Councillor Darren Roberts, who represents the Merthyr Vale ward where the centre is located, said it is not just a building but an “integral part” of a well-knit community.
Cllr Roberts said: “Staff have gone above and beyond to deliver the very best services that they can.”
He said they know what impact the closure of the centre would have, saying “it would be devastating” and adding: “I won’t stand back and let that happen.”
Cllr Roberts said he would do all he can to keep it open and that the current trustees need to “urgently resolve” any outstanding issues and engage with officers, adding that their decisions mean the future of the centre is secure.
Councillor Jamie Scriven said the centre was a “beacon of hope” and a “sanctuary of healing” after the Aberfan
disaster. Councillors agreed to the continuation of discussions with Wellbeing Merthyr to ensure that a leisure and library service are provided from Aberfan after the end of the management agreement, for the undertaking of a full due diligence exercise in relation to the acquisition of the trusteeship of the centre. It comes after fake signs erected at the centre wrongly informed locals the centre was closing from April 1, which sparked a backlash in the community.
The council confirmed it was a hoax and said it is working with Wellbeing Merthyr to ensure the site stays open after Wellbeing Merthyr’s contract to run leisure and cultural services in the county borough ends on March 31.
A report went before full council setting out the situation regarding the centre, the legal complexities surrounding the charity, and the running
Council leader Councillor Geraint Thomas of services from the centre after the end of the contract.
Council officers made it clear that if councillors did become trustees they would do so as individual councillors and the building would not be an asset of the council itself.
They also said that they can’t begin the due diligence exercise until the trust has approached the council saying they want councillors to take over the trusteeship, so the ball is in the trust’s court.
Speaking at the full council meeting, the leader of the council Councillor Geraint Thomas said the charitable law situation is a “real challenge” but one he is sure they will resolve.
He said all 30 councillors are fully behind the local members and the people of Aberfan to get the building back in their control. He requested the trustees speak to the council and give them back the keys.
He added: “Between 1988 and March 30, 2015, Aberfan and Merthyr Vale Community Centre was managed by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council as trustees for the Aberfan Disaster Fund and Centre. The centre has never been a council asset and the council has never ‘owned’ it.
“Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Trust Ltd – now known as Wellbeing Merthyr – was created from the council’s former leisure services department.
“The belief was that by creating a charitable trust, the service would be better protected at a time of austerity and have more opportunity to access grant funding, in turn providing a better service for the people of Merthyr Tydfil.
“Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Trust Ltd took over leisure services in Merthyr Tydfil on April 1, 2015.
“Following Charity Commission approval in October 2015, Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Trust Ltd became the trustees of the Aberfan Disaster Fund and centre. The transfer of trusteeship of the building occurred in April 2016.
“In December 2023 full council made the decision to end the agreement with the trust.
“Over recent months the council has been attempting to work with Wellbeing Merthyr on the managed termination of that contract.
“Whilst we were initially working to a date of March 31, this has extended to April 30, 2024.
“The complication with Aberfan and Merthyr Vale Community Centre is that the building is vested in the current trustees and does not automatically revert to the council at the end of the current contact. Therefore, we face some additional legal hurdles in relation the centre.
“To take over services need to have permission trustees.
“Our aim and priority is to keep all leisure facilities open, including Aberfan and Merthyr Vale Community Centre, and we have reached out to Wellbeing Merthyr as the trustees of the centre to ensure the seamless continuation of service.
“Any decision in relation to Aberfan centre rests solely with the current trustees so my plea to them is to please work with us to ensure a seamless transition of service for the people of Merthyr Tydfil.”
The report said advice of the Charity Commission will be sought on councillors becoming trustees and councillors would need to be aware of Charity Commission guidance and its governance code.
Our aim and priority is to keep all leisure facilities open, including Aberfan and Merthyr Vale Community Centre
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